Telling it like it is
by thesameguest
Summary: Missing scene set towards the end of the Holiday Special. A Solstice night chat between two of our favourite Spellmans. Disclaimer:English's not my mothertongue (it's my auntstongue, though).


Two fingers of whiskey were not enough to calm her down that evening. While she was rocking the baby in her arms, she was being hit by a stream of raw feelings, preventing her own mind to find some rest.

It had been quite a hectic couple of days. Well, months, to be honest. Since Sabrina's birthday the quiet, no-nonsense life she had organized so well in the previous 16 years had started to be shaken from the inside.

Most of all, the child risking her life more than once (a week) had been unspeakably stressful. Not to mention their increasingly intense discussions. That last yelling match – the one after Sabrina's unacceptable necromancy shenanigans - had left her more drained that she would admit. Nothing that she wouldn't expect to happen, sooner or later. But still… She sighed while she soothed the baby with little kisses on her forehead. This little one had been quite the revolution over the last few weeks. Holding a baby again, imagining the following years with her…all of this was powerful, strong like a wild torrent of energy running through her veins. And yet, it was too good to be true. Her decision was final. Baby Leticia wouldn't be safe with them, so she would do the right thing. But for Satan's sake, knowing it was the right decision didn't stop her from hurting.

Leticia was finally starting to doze when Sabrina's platinum bob appeared on the doorframe. "Aunt Hilda sent you this calming infusion. She said you…hum, all of us would need something after today" she murmured softly, seeing the almost asleep baby relaxing in Zelda's arms.

The oldest Spellman raised an eyebrow but gestured her niece to leave the smoking hot tea cup on her nightstand. Sabrina complied, before sitting down by Zelda's side on the bed, to have a peek at their chubby, adorable guest. "She's so cute, isn't she?" the girl whispered, taking in, quite amusedly, the view of her aunt, delightfully absorbed by the sweet bundle she was holding.

Only Sabrina Spellman – and her Aunt Hilda, up to a certain point, as Zelda and her had been co-parenting for 16 years – knew the real extent of the redhead's soft side. Although Hilda was clearly the nurturing type – sunny, openly affectionate, always ready to listen and to kiss away anything from a scraped knee to first-crush pains – the aunties' good cop/bad cop dynamic hid a more complex dynamic of relationships within the Spellman manor.

As scary as the older sister could appear on the surface, she would actually melt like a roasted marshmallow whenever her blond Imp was in need of her – whether it was for reassurance after a nightmare, help with her homework or just a tight, silent hug. Centuries of toughness would crash in a second whenever little Sabrina would call for Auntie Zee in the middle of the night. Things had gotten a little rocky through teenage years, but even now that Sabrina openly challenged and tested her like never before, it would take Zelda two seconds to switch from yelling mode to rescue mode.

Raising a child with multiple centuries of age gap could be frustrating. However, in spite of some of her most reckless choices, Sabrina was growing into a smart and kind young woman. From a mortal point of view – she snorted inwardly at thinking of it – her niece at 16 years old was already way a better person than her. So keen on helping others – although often making stupid choices - and doing the right thing, although their ideas of _right_ didn't always collide. The strangest thing was - after years of trying to shape the child into a perfect witch, she was realizing that Sabrina was the one who was changing _her_. The girl questioning the coven, her rules and caring for mortals had resulted more and more in Zelda questioning herself some of her beliefs and feeling more…compassionate towards non-magical fellow citizens.

The baby had fallen asleep, and Sabrina looked while her Aunt Zee slowly, almost reluctantly moved her into her bassinet. The younger witch had felt her heart crumble apart for a moment that day, when witnessing her aunt's meltdown about having to give up the little one. It was something incredibly sad to see the rock of her childhood in such a vulnerable state. Earlier that day, facing Gryla had been quite distressful. Risking to lose Leticia had upset the aunties enough, and the arrogance of the other witch claiming her right to the baby had hurt Aunt Zelda. This was something that normally only Hilda would have noticed, but Sabrina was older now, and the empathy ability she shared with her younger aunt was becoming stronger.

"You already love her more than me, right?" the girl asked playfully the older woman who was now tucking the baby in her dark blankets. "I mean, this one doesn't make your blood pressure rise on a daily basis. For now" she added with a cheeky smile.

Zelda sighed, without losing her composure at the girl's antics. She reached for the infusion on her nightstand before answering, in her usual no-nonsense tone. "Don't be silly, Sabrina" She started sipping the hot drink, going back to sit close to both girls. The adopted and the abducted one.

"Of course not" she added in a softer voice. "But she's rather special, isn't she?" she whispered laying a fond gaze on the sleeping baby, and then on the teenager crawled up on her bed.

Sabrina nodded with a smile, savouring the peace while Leticia snored soundly. "I'm sorry things didn't turn up the way you wanted, Aunt Zee" the girl offered quietly, embracing her knees and resting her chin on them.

Zelda's fierce love for Sabrina was fiercely reciprocated. As much as the young witch would have liked to petrify her guardian every now and then – to interrupt her rants, or just to stop her from being a control freak all the time – she couldn't imagine a world without the redhead to roll her eyes at. Incredible as it might sound, nobody could make her feel safer than this woman who would systematically kill her sister when she was pissed. She realized she needed her guide, even just for the sake of being able to do the exact opposite of what she was being told.

"Well – this is the way things are meant to be. The babe's safety comes first." Zelda paused to stroke Sabrina's curls, tucking them behind her ear. "Speaking of which, she wouldn't be here without your changeling spell. You were able to stay focused and take the right decision quickly. I must admit it was...well done. Satan knows what would have been of Leticia if that…misfit woman had taken her." The redhead rested her hand on Sabrina's cheek, while the girl absorbed contently the warmth of the gesture.

"You know what she said is not true, Aunt Zee" she said after a little while. "When she said she was entitled to take Leticia because…". She trailed off, well aware that she had shouted basically the same thing in Zelda's face days before, in a fit of rage. She had never apologized – not with words, at least. Maybe Aunt Zee didn't know, after all. She gathered her courage. She owed it to the older witch. After the exorcism, and the tornado, and the Susie-rescue mission, and…

"What do you mean, Sabrina?" the redhead asked, not sure about what was in the girl's mind.

"When she said she was a mother and you weren't" Sabrina answered "That was bull…Wrong. That was very wrong. You know that. _I_ know that" she continued more boldly, then lowering her gaze. "Even if I may have said, hmm, otherwise when I was mad at you".

Zelda Spellman had thought she'd had enough emotions that day, thank you very much. She was mistaken.

Trying to keep a casual steady voice, she started answering "That's… sweet, Sabrina. I…". Before she could continue her sentence, her teacup was safely teleported back to the nightstand, while her niece gently lifted her left arm before snuggling close to her, her cheek resting on the base of Zelda's neck – her favourite spot when she was smaller. The older witch quickly reciprocated the hug, grateful for the opportunity of switching to a silent conversation, with no risk of misunderstandings but very eloquent nonetheless. She wrapped the girl tightly in her arms, while Sabrina closed her eyes and sighed, happily letting go some of her own anxieties.

Between this one and the baby, Zelda thought while she stroked her niece's hair, I'll turn into a big softie. Satan knows what will become of me. Maybe I'll end up spending the last centuries of my life in one of those hippy-dippy covens down in California, playing guitars under the moonlight and healing sick squirrels…

"Also" Sabrina interrupted her aunt's fantasy with a mischievous tone "There's this thing I need to ask you".

"What, Sabrina? What are you up to?" Zelda answered, keeping her eyes closed. "I need the car next weekend. Please, Auntie. I _know_ I crushed it just a little bit last time, but I'll be super careful this time. Susie and Roz and I have to go to this sleepover at Roz's cousins in Riverdale. There'll be also, uhm, a sort of concert before that, and…"

"Wait a minute, young lady" the redhead opened her eyes, looking down at her beaming niece. "Next weekend as in the weekend you were supposed to be studying to catch up with those subjects you already failed in the Academy? And why should we lend you the car we use for our business, in order to let you join some dubious pubescent gathering?"

"I know, but I thought maybe you could help me go through Latin and Herbalism during next week, so that I can go out in the weekend" Sabrina quickly answered, still securely enveloped in Zelda's arms.

"You'll be the end of me, won't you?" the older witch sighed inwardly, closing her eyes again, determined not to release Sabrina from her embrace for a little while. She was definitely risking to end up in a decadent hippy congregation, but in this precious, perfect moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be. And nothing else really mattered to her.


End file.
